Saturday, August 9, 2014

The Adjourning Stage of Team Development


Week 6:  The Adjourning Stage of Team Development

 

In tasks in which I have worked efficiently with others as a team it is difficult to say good-bye even when celebrating the completion of whatever the team accomplished together.  I think the higher performing groups are the hardest to leave because they are likely more to have the clearest established norms and are strongly focused on their group’s vision.  Evening through the closing rituals, which mostly have consisted of being rewarded with food that tastes great, but is bad for us, it is still often difficult to walk away from a group of people who formed a strong performing and productive team.  This type of team is more focused on the group than self.  A group focus, rather than a focus on self, seems to flow smoother in accomplishing goals. This makes everyone’s job easier.

 

I imagine I will likely adjourn from my colleagues by thanking them for their insights and participation throughout this program.  I think this stage is an important stage of teamwork because, for me, it provokes reflection on what areas I do well in and what areas I need more improvements.  I think my colleagues’ input is important because they understand our successes and shortcomings because we share a common vision.  I do think it would be nice to stay connected with my colleagues, but this would likely have to be done through social networking as we are all scattered throughout and would likely find it too difficult to physically meet.  Overall, I think collectively we have a lot to offer one another through are vast diversities and experiences.    

3 comments:

  1. Hello Jana
    It think the adjourning process is so hard because some of us have developed very close relationships and have come to learn a great deal from one another. We all want the best for each other and we can look back at our accomplishments and appreciate and value one another's views and opinions regardless of how diverse they are. Thank you for sharing.

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  2. Isn't it amazing how many people we have gotten to know and how many different opinions we have heard as a result of our Walden education? When I started in this program I was very hesitant about online learning. I love to learn and the classroom is somewhere I have always felt at home. Discussions and interactions with others make the learning experience so much more enriching. I was impressed with how much interaction we are still able to have in a virtual way. That combined with the differences in personal background and physical geography has made such an impact on my learning. I'm going to be sad to get to the adjourning phase because I will miss the thoughtful questions and ideas posed by classmates.

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  3. I am one that always says goodbye before I leave somewhere or get off of the phone. I got really offended one time when a friend of mine said okay then and hung up. I still thought the conversation was going so I felt like he hung up on me.

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